by Shreyas S. Bhide
The English team is here; in India to play seven ODI’s and a two match test series. And this promises to be a delecious battle. India fresh with their test series win against the Aussies and under a dynamic captain Dhoni are touted to be the next no.1, while England will want to prove its detractors wrong who claimed that they undertook the Stanford Series expedition just for the sake of money and came back with dissappointing results. Under Kevin Pieterson, England is a team that is seeing constant changes and is yet to find and fix the right balance.
But one man would matter the most, to both the sides, and he is Andrew Flintoff. The burly all-rounder from Lancashire, led English team to a victory at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai, the previous time England toured India. Add to this his experience of playing in the sub-continental conditions and that would be extremely fruitful for England, but India at the same time would be wary of exactly that kind of a situation and would pull all stops to prevent Freddie from getting to big scores.
Fit and raring to go after missing nearly a year of international cricket due to injuries, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff today said he is counting on his past experience of playing in India to help his team upstage Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side in the seven-match ODI series starting November 14. Its been a roller-coaster ride for the Lancashire all rounder ever since he made his debut in the 1998-99 season and since became England’s flag bearer in many of their victories. He managed to blast 402 runs and 24 wickets in five Tests, and carry his team to glory in arguably the greatest Ashes series of all time in 2005. This though doesn’t remain his only claim to fame. Flintoff continues to be one of the best all rounders and most interesting characters on and off the field in modern contemprory times due to various other reasons.
A colossal 6′4″ frame and wide body structure helps Flintoff generate exhilarating speeds upto the mark of 90mph and above, add to this, his accuracy of line and length and you get a bowler who has the capacity to intimidate many a batsmen during his run up even before the ball is bowled. His weight though has been a issue that ECB and the English team management has had to address quite a few times. Almost two years after his debut, he was given an ultimatum by his management team, and requested to be sent to Rod Marsh’s ECB Academy as he was struggling with persistent back problems. Flintoff though came into his own in the 2002 test series against South Africa, where he carried his brilliant touch which he had found in the earlier series against India and New Zealand. But the excitement, expectations and celebrations were short lived as Flintoff went through a hernia operation and could barely move thereafter.
He made a fairy tale comeback in the 2003 South Africa World Cup, where he was the most economical bowler of all. England’s tour of Caribbean later that year, established him as a potent opening attack bowler. After helping England to a 2-1 series win in South Africa in 2004-05, he flew home early for an operation on his troublesome left ankle. Once again he scripted another fairytale comeback when he helped England win the Ashes in 2005. He single-handedly inspired England to a two-run victory over Australia at Edgbaston, in one of the greatest Tests of all time, followed up with a maiden Ashes hundred at Trent Bridge and sealed the series with a marathon five-wicket haul at The Oval.
He was being considered one of England’s greatest all rounders of all time, but then fame and success can spoil anyone. That was precisely what happened in Flintoff’s case. Just as his name was being taken amongst greats and legends like Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Imran Khan and even Warne and Tendulkar, Flintoff managed to mess it up. His troublesome ankle further reduced his effectiveness. The ECB, team management and the fans were soon realizing that Flintoff was going wayward with his expeditions on and off the field. Skipping team meetings, pub brawls etc. were few of the allegations he has had to face.
In the 2006-07 Ashes series, he managed to convince the selectors to appoint his as the captain, a decision which brutally back fired as England lost the Ashes series 5-0. He managed to compensate some of the lost reputation for himself and his team by winning the CB series that followed next, but it wasn’t inspiring enough to convince the selectors to continue with him as the captain. More over, the selectors also started to toy with the idea of dropping him from the squad altogether, until he rediscovers his form with the bat on the domestic circuit. Later in the 2007 World Cup in the Carribean he was pulled up, strictly warned and disciplined by the England management for his excessive drinking and he was also removed from vice-captaincy after drunkenly capsizing a pedalo in St Lucia following England’s defeat to New Zealand.
He continued to do some decent work with the ball, but his showing with the bat started adversely affecting his overall confidence and form. Later in late 2007 as he underwent a third ankle operation, many wondered if he would be able to play again. He did; at Headingly in July this year he returned to the squad against South Africa, after a year long hiatus. Even as he was named Man of the Series in the recent ODI clean sweep against South Africa, he surely seems to be returning to the golden era he saw and lived for himslef.
